The Fourth Protocol

The year is 1987. The place, London. Someone in the British Defense Ministry is funneling top secret military information to the Soviet Union. John Preston, a British intelligence agent of considerable skill, is handed the rather daunting task of finding out who is doing it and why. Meanwhile, in Moscow, a diabolical plot is being hatched to bring Communist rule to the British Isles using the most nefarious of tactics. Frederick Forsyth masterfully interweaves these two storylines using a narrative style that is detailed to the nth degree. The Fourth Protocal is highly suspenseful and filled with unexpected plot twists. Moreover, Forsyth dares to employ the unusual and somewhat risky technique of using a real life historical figure as one of the main characters....in this case the notorious double agent Kim Philby. The Fourth Protocol is an extremely engaging, well crafted and meticulously researched cold war thriller that does not disappoint. It ranks right up there among the genre's finest.

It's only my personal opinion.....but I think this is quite possibly Forsyth's best novel. From the seemingly innocent burglary at the start to the suspense filled denouement, it is flawless. If you only ever read one Forsyth novel...make it this one.

What a great tale. Tension, fast moving plot, sometimes excruciating while the author takes the reader slowly through the thoroughness of the details, leaving the readers in suspense of the outcome.Like many masterpieces, villains and heroes are not always so well defined. British MI5 agent John Preston has the serendipidity to be at the right place at the right time despite his superior's best efforts to the otherwise. Uncovering the scent of a case after case, his doggedness enabled him to penetrate layers of deceit and patience rewarded by necessary breaks.The Russians were no less masters of the game, and in fact, better and it was through sheer bad luck that they were discovered.Despite the lengthy introduction of characters though, readers could not really feel for the cast, except for perhaps John Preston who was separated from his wife and looks forward only to spending time with his son.Nonetheless, the lack of characterisation was more than made up by brilliant twists and turns that would keep a reader continuing through anything.

I'm not a devout reader of novels, and have started quite a few without finishing them. But this book kept me riveted. Make sure you don't have anything important going on in your life when you start this book! (Unless, unlike me, you are a fast reader.) As the ending drew near, I was literally shaking because of the tension (and that's certainly never happened to me before).Great book.

Frederick Forsyth is a master of complex plotting and this book, published in 1985, is without a doubt one of his most complex."The Fourth Protocol" begins quite humbly with the simple burglary and theft of a mult-million dollar set of diamond jewelry from a London town home. Finding a sparkling tiara won't fit into his own carrying case, the burglar takes an attache case belonging to the owner and thereby saves the entire Western Alliance from collapse. Only Forsythe could pull this off. He does so with a cast of dozens, meticulous attention to plot detail and the sure knowledge of his readers' fear of communism and nuclear terrorism in the 1980s. The story begins slowly, but manages to hold the reader's interest through a series of accidents, mayhem and shrewd deductions of British intelligence officer John Preston. The story takes us back and forth from Europe to the Soviet Union, from Pretoria, South Africa to a U.S. air base in England, and all over Europe. Each new revelation brings the reader a little closer to the edge of his chair and the ending nearly sends him to hide underneath. Even though this thriller is somewhat dated in its Cold War mentality, it is still a wonderful, compelling novel. With only a bit of paranoia, the reader can substitute a Middle-East villain for the aging Soviet one in this novel, and scare himself silly.